In many-body quantum systems the conventional picture of energy transport assumes that excitations propagate through well‑defined quasiparticle channels governed by the system Hamiltonian. Recent theoretical investigations suggest that in strongly correlated materials there exist additional, hidden pathways for energy exchange that are not captured by standard quasiparticle descriptions. These hidden energy channels (HECs) arise from collective reconfigurations of the entanglement structure, mediated by emergent gauge fields and topological constraints. In this paper we formulate a unified framework to identify and characterize HECs in generic lattice models. We derive explicit expressions for the energy current operator that include both conventional and hidden contributions, and demonstrate how HECs modify the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity in prototypical models such as the two‑dimensional Hubbard model and the Kitaev honeycomb model. Our analysis predicts anomalous scaling laws and non‑monotonic temperature profiles that can serve as experimental signatures of HECs. The existence of these channels opens a new avenue for engineering efficient energy transport in quantum materials, with implications for quantum information processing and low‑temperature thermoelectric devices.
In many-body quantum systems the conventional picture of energy transport assumes that excitations propagate through well‑defined quasiparticle channels governed by the system Hamiltonian. Recent theoretical investigations suggest that in strongly correlated materials there exist additional, hidden pathways for energy exchange that are not captured by standard quasiparticle descriptions. These hidden energy channels (HECs) arise from collective reconfigurations of the entanglement structure, mediated by emergent gauge fields and topological constraints. In this paper we formulate a unified framework to identify and characterize HECs in generic lattice models. We derive explicit expressions for the energy current operator that include both conventional and hidden contributions, and demonstrate how HECs modify the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity in prototypical models such as the two‑dimensional Hubbard model and the Kitaev honeycomb model. Our analysis predicts anomalous scaling laws and non‑monotonic temperature profiles that can serve as experimental signatures of HECs. The existence of these channels opens a new avenue for engineering efficient energy transport in quantum materials, with implications for quantum information processing and low‑temperature thermoelectric devices.
In strongly correlated quantum systems, the presence of conserved quantities beyond the obvious symmetries often leads to unexpected robustness of certain phases and excitations. We propose a systematic framework to search for hidden conserved operators, denoted Q_h, that commute with the full Hamiltonian H of a complex material. The core idea is that such hidden conservation laws may underpin anomalously stable states that defy conventional classification, potentially opening new avenues for topological quantum computation and material design. We formulate the problem as a constrained eigenvalue optimization, derive analytic expressions for candidate Q_h in representative lattice models, and introduce an iterative operator construction algorithm that exploits the algebraic structure of the spin, fermionic, and bosonic operators involved. By applying the method to a set of benchmark systems—spin chains with next‑nearest‑neighbour interactions, Hubbard‑type models with spin–orbit coupling, and coupled spin‑boson lattices—we demonstrate the emergence of non‑trivial conserved operators that are not linear combinations of known symmetries. The discovery of these hidden laws not only clarifies the stability of exotic phases such as quantum spin liquids and fractional topological insulators but also suggests that a deeper symmetry principle may underlie many unexplained experimental observations. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for future theoretical developments and the pursuit of a Nobel‑level breakthrough in the field of quantum materials.
In many-body quantum systems, the elementary excitations that carry energy and momentum are usually understood as phonons, rotons, or other well‑studied quasi‑particles. In this work we propose a new class of collective excitations, termed information phonons, that exist in quantum liquids. Unlike conventional phonons, an information phonon is defined by a field operator φ_I that carries an additional degree of freedom encoding classical or quantum information. We construct a minimal model Hamiltonian that describes the coupling between the density fluctuations of the liquid and the information field, derive the dispersion relation for φ_I, and analyze its properties. Theoretical analysis shows that the information phonon can propagate with a velocity distinct from the sound velocity, possesses a non‑trivial topological structure, and can be manipulated by external fields. We discuss the implications of these excitations for quantum information processing, suggesting that IPQLs could provide a new platform for robust quantum memories and information transport in strongly correlated media. The discovery of such quasi‑particles opens a promising avenue toward realizing novel quantum technologies and deepening our understanding of emergent phenomena in quantum liquids.
In many-body quantum systems, the elementary excitations that carry energy and momentum are usually understood as phonons, rotons, or other well‑studied quasi‑particles. In this work we propose a new class of collective excitations, termed information phonons, that exist in quantum liquids. Unlike conventional phonons, an information phonon is defined by a field operator φ_I that carries an additional degree of freedom encoding classical or quantum information. We construct a minimal model Hamiltonian that describes the coupling between the density fluctuations of the liquid and the information field, derive the dispersion relation for φ_I, and analyze its properties. Theoretical analysis shows that the information phonon can propagate with a velocity distinct from the sound velocity, possesses a non‑trivial topological structure, and can be manipulated by external fields. We discuss the implications of these excitations for quantum information processing, suggesting that IPQLs could provide a new platform for robust quantum memories and information transport in strongly correlated media. The discovery of such quasi‑particles opens a promising avenue toward realizing novel quantum technologies and deepening our understanding of emergent phenomena in quantum liquids.
Energy transport in quantum many-body systems with well defined quasiparticles has recently attracted interest across different fields, including out of equilibrium conformal field theories, one dimensional quantum lattice models and holographic matter. Here we study energy transport between \emph{strange quantum baths} without quasiparticles, made by two Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) models at temperatures TL=TR and connected by a Fermi-Liquid system. We obtain an exact expression for the nonequilibrium energy current, valid in the limit of large bath and system size and for any system-bath coupling V. We show that the peculiar criticality of the SYK baths has direct consequences on the thermal conductance, which above a temperature T∗(V)∼V4 is parametrically enhanced with respect to the linear-T behavior expected in systems with quasiparticles. Interestingly, below T∗(V) the linear thermal conductance behavior is restored, yet transport is not due to quasiparticles. Rather the system gets strongly renormalized by the strange bath and becomes Non-Fermi-Liquid and maximally chaotic. Finally, we discuss the full nonequilibrium energy current and show that its form is compatible with the structure J=Φ(TL)−Φ(TR), with Φ(T)∼Tγ and power law crossing over from γ=3/2 to γ=2 below T∗.
Understanding heat transport in low-dimensional and nano-architectured materials remains a central challenge in nonequilibrium statistical physics due to persistent deviations from Fourier's law. These deviations are driven by anharmonicity, reduced dimensionality, and the emergence of long-lived coherent excitations. In this work, we develop a unified theoretical framework for two-dimensional thermal metamaterials that combines nonlinear lattice dynamics, soliton-based effective field theories, and geometrically organized defect networks as guiding structures for energy flow. We introduce minimal discrete and continuum-inspired models suitable for controlled benchmarking of thermal transport in patterned two-dimensional architectures and identify a two-channel transport mechanism in which coherent nonlinear excitations coexist with incoherent hydrodynamic modes. The interplay between these channels is shown to be highly sensitive to geometry, nonlinearity, and temperature, offering new avenues for thermal management. We establish rigorous connections between microscopic nonlinearity, geometry-driven channeling of heat in two dimensions, and quantum-enabled exploration of both high-occupation classical regimes and genuinely quantum regimes beyond the reach of standard simulation strategies. The theoretical predictions are corroborated by recent experimental and computational results in Stone-Wales-defected PdSSe monolayers and silicon phononic crystal nanostructures, which exhibit ultra-low thermal conductivity coexisting with high carrier mobility and strong anisotropy -- direct manifestations of the two-channel mechanism. This synthesis provides actionable guidance for the design of engineered heat-spreading architectures and positions quantum simulation as a transformative tool for advancing the theory of nonlinear heat transport.
Energy transport in quantum many-body systems with well defined quasiparticles has recently attracted interest across different fields, including out of equilibrium conformal field theories, one-dimensional quantum lattice models, and holographic matter. Here we study energy transport between two interacting quantum baths without quasiparticles made by two Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) models at temperatures ${T}_{L}\ensuremath{\ne}{T}_{R}$ and connected by a Fermi-liquid system. We obtain an exact expression for the nonequilibrium energy current, valid in the limit of large bath and system size and for any system-bath coupling V. We show that the peculiar criticality of the SYK baths has direct consequences on the thermal conductance, which above a temperature ${T}^{*}(V)\ensuremath{\sim}{V}^{4}$ is parametrically enhanced with respect to the linear-T behavior expected in systems with quasiparticles. Interestingly, below T∗(V) the linear thermal conductance behavior is restored, yet transport is not due to quasiparticles. Rather the system gets strongly renormalized by the bath and becomes non-Fermi liquid and maximally chaotic. Finally, we discuss the full nonequilibrium energy current and show that its form is compatible with the structure $\mathcal{J}=\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}({T}_{L})\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}({T}_{R})$, with $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}(T)\ensuremath{\sim}{T}^{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ and power law crossing over from $\ensuremath{\gamma}=3/2$ to $\ensuremath{\gamma}=2$ below T∗.